Prioritising Applications

The Council uses a banding scheme to prioritise applications.

All Homeseekers' Register applications received that meet eligibility and qualification criteria will be assessed and placed in one of four bands A-D. The table below sets out the banding scheme and gives examples of those applicants who would be eligible to be placed in each band.

Band A(Time Limit of 4 Weeks)

Where you have a local connection, you do not have the means to resolve your housing need and you meet at least one of the following criteria:-You lack three or more bedrooms in your current home and your overcrowding is not deliberate-You have exclusive use of one room but you share kitchen or bathroom facilities with non-family members and lack two or more bedrooms (this does not include temporary accommodation)-You have been assessed as statutorily overcrowded-You are a social tenant and have one or more bedrooms than you require or you live in an adapted property that you no longer require-We have assessed you as suffering from continuing serious harassment, violence or abuse and a move will improve your circumstances-We have awarded you a Urgent Medical need because your current housing conditions have been assessed as having an extremely significant impact on a proven medical condition or disability and this will only be improved by a move to alternative accommodation-We have awarded you Urgent Disrepair status-You currently live in supported Move-On accommodation or are a Southend Borough Council Care Leaver and we have assessed you as ready to move into independent accommodation-We have assessed you as having a combined High Medical and High Disrepair status from Band B-We have assessed you as having other multiple needs within Band B that warrant a Band A priority

Band B

Where you have a local connection, you do not have the means to resolve your housing need and you meet at least one of the following criteria

-We have awarded you a High Medical need because you have been assessed as able to use your current home fully with some effort but a move to different accommodation would be likely to substantially improve your quality of life

-We have awarded you High Disrepair status

-You lack two bedrooms in your current home and your overcrowding is not deliberate

-We, at our discretion, accept that you have a need to move:*Nearer local facilities or relatives, in order to give or receive support or care where this is not available in your current area*

-We have assessed you as having other multiple needs within Band C that warrant a Band B priority

-You have been assessed as threatened with homelessness and would be likely to have a priority need if homeless, and you are working with the Council to try to prevent your homelessness

Band C

Where you have a local connection, you do not have the means to resolve your housing need and you meet at least one of the following criteria:

-We have accepted a duty to re-house you because you are homeless or threatened with homelessness and have a priority need (Time Limit 4 weeks)

-We have awarded you a Medium Medical need because your current home has been assessed as having a minimal effect on your medical condition or disability and a move to different accommodation is unlikely to substantially improve your quality of life
-We have awarded you Medium Disrepair status
-You are statutorily homeless or threatened with homelessness but we have assessed you as:
*Intentionally homeless
*Not in priority need
*Sleeping rough and not in priority need
*Staying with non family members:
-You are staying with non-family members, where you do not have the exclusive use of a bedroom/one room and
-Where you share facilities with persons who are not members of your household. The Council considers that shared facilities may include:
*Kitchen
*Bathroom
-You lack one bedroom in your current home and your overcrowding is not deliberate

Band D

-You have a Housing Need but No local connection with Southend On Sea Council area (Applicants who have an assessed housing need (Bands A-C) but no local connection with Southend Council area-You have a Non-housing need - special circumstances.

Low Priority

-You are in short-term Supported housing project, or a care leaver where duty to rehouse has been accepted, but you are not assessed as being ready for "move-on" into independant accommodation.

-You or a household member is guilty of unacceptable behaviour but have not been excluded, and will remain in low priority until considered suitable to be a tenant.

-You have rent arrears or housing related charges, not sufficiently high to class as not qualifying

-You have a history of anti-social behaviour, not sufficiently severe to class as not qualifying

-You have successfully bid, but refused 2 reasonable offers of accommodation within 12 months of the date of the first offer, and the applicant had the opportunity to view the properties.

Emergency Cases(2 week time limit)

We will only issue an Exceptional/Emergency status when you are assessed as requiring an urgent move to ensure your immediate safety and welfare for whatever reason and/or when remaining in your current home is likely to cause risk of death or serious mental or physical injury.